


Partners, Unstoppable

by GwendolynGrace



Category: The Dragon Prince (Cartoon)
Genre: Backstory, Deaf Character, Gen, Incorrect Timelines, Pre-Series
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-17
Updated: 2018-09-17
Packaged: 2019-07-13 15:14:02
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,561
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16020527
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GwendolynGrace/pseuds/GwendolynGrace
Summary: Amaya's big sister Sarai was also her partner through thick and thin. Together, they were unstoppable. The problem was, they weren't always together.





	Partners, Unstoppable

**Author's Note:**

> Because Amaya needs more love, and the relationship between her and her sister (and by extension, her relationships to Harrow and Viren and the princes) needs examination. This is just my attempt at backstory for them.

As long as she could remember, Sarai had been there for Amaya. When they were little, they'd learned to finger-spell into each other's hands, so that they could talk long after their parents had blown out the lamp and said goodnight. Later, Sarai trained her to fight. She would drop sword and shield after each bout to explain and teach. "Watch your opponent's eyes," she advised. "You can see which side the attack will hit. Try again." When the time came for them to join up, Amaya was the one who showed Sarai how to read a battle, interpreting the movements of the lines by the colors of the banners, the whip of the wind, and the vibration of the horses' hooves. Together, they were an unstoppable team.

Over time, they remained partners, but soon the demands of battle required them to be in different places. Sarai was assigned near the front, while Amaya remained in the reserve lines. _I worry about you alone,_ Sarai told her. 

_I'll be all right,_ Amaya said. But it was harder. Weeks would pass where she had no conversations, could only follow orders based on lip-reading or by paying close attention to the soldiers around her. The only bright spots were the letters Sarai sent, which were few and far between. 

At last, the winter came and the soldiers from the front returned to the main camp. Amaya watched nervously for her sister. It had been days since her last message, and according to the gossip, there had been a hard skirmish yesterday. They were bringing back no small number of wounded. As Amaya stood in parade, waiting for the troops to file in, she scanned each face. When Sarai caught sight of her, she grinned. She even chanced breaking rank to wave excitedly.

As soon as they were dismissed, she found her sister. They stopped hugging only long enough to exchange rapid-fire signs of how much they loved each other, how much they'd missed one another, how glad they were to be safe and back together. _Let's find food,_ Sarai signed. Throwing one arm around her little sister's shoulder, she led them in search of a fire and a plate. 

In between bites, they caught up on everything that letters didn't cover. _Has it been okay?_ Sarai asked.

 _Mostly,_ Amaya said. _A few of the others are starting to learn. I write things down for them. When there's time._

 _I knew you'd make yourself understood,_ Sarai said, smiling proudly. _Made any friends?_

Amaya rolled her eyes. _It's war, sis._

Sarai laughed, but looked a little guilty. Amaya reached out to turn her sister's face back toward her. _What is it?_ she asked.

 _I've met someone,_ Sarai signed to her.

 _In the unit?_ Amaya asked.

 _No. He's in the 4 th battalion._ Sarai looked away. _He led the 25 th squadron against the Sunforge elves, two weeks ago._

_You're just telling me now? Your last letter came three days ago._

_I wanted to wait until I could tell you face to face. I want you to meet him. Okay?_

_OK,_ she spelled. They put down their plates. Sarai led her through the other huddles of men and women until they came to a knot of officers bearing the 25 th's insignia. 

Sarai called out. One of the men turned, smiled widely, and left the group. He caught Sarai in a bear hug, lifting her off the ground despite her armor. She brought him over to where Amaya waited.

"This is Olun," Sarai said, spelling his name at the same time. "Olun, this is my sister, Amaya."

Olun held up one hand. "Sarai's been teaching me," he said, "but I'm not any good yet. It's nice to meet you," he continued, holding out his hand to her. She offered hers. He was pale, with hazel eyes and high cheekbones. His brown hair hung in a floppy shag that came to his shoulders. He looked slim, but strong.

Speaking and signing both, Sarai related the story of how they'd met. "Olun took the third and fourth redoubts; our unit was assigned the fifth and sixth. When a detachment of elves beat their way through the vanguard, they came close to overrunning us. Olun led a strike team from his squadron to reinforce us."

"We almost crossed swords ourselves," Olun says. To his credit, he's not yelling or speaking slowly, or looking away. "Sarai's commander fell and she--"

"--I took command," she continued. She put one hand on his arm to stop him telling the story, and he looked at her, blushed, and chuckled. "We were busy fighting the incursion and didn't notice we'd finished them off until a few of us were facing our own kind."

"Sorry," he said to Sarai, then looking directly at Amaya, said, "I wasn't supposed to let you know that she was in trouble."

"I wasn't," Sarai insisted. "He just wants to sound heroic. Anyway, that was two weeks ago, and we've been--together on the field since then. Two days ago, we were chosen to rally the other squadrons, and together, we drove the elves back to the cliffs. King Dernir said our wedge maneuver decided the battle in our favor. A good way to end the season."

 _Now who sounds heroic?_ Amaya laughed with them, but her heart cracked a little. She'd never seen her sister in love. The marks of it were unmistakable. Their partnership was about to end.

After some time, Olun went back to his regiment, but Amaya saw his lips when he asked Sarai if he would see her later. Sarai nodded and they kissed before she came back to her sister.

 _So...what do you think?_ she asked, pointing her thumb behind her at Olun as he walked away. She bit her lip nervously.

 _He seems nice,_ Amaya said, shrugging.

_I'm going to see if I can get us both assigned to his company. We'll be back together._

_Sarai,_ Amaya signed, but then broke off.

 _What?_ she squeezed Amaya's shoulder. 

_No one's sending me to the front,_ Amaya signed, more angrily than she'd intended. _They'll say I'm a liability._

_But we know you're not. And Olun has some capital now, he's an actual hero._

_So do you, sounds like,_ Amaya said. _You took command. Why would you give that up just to become his subordinate?_

 _I won't get the command,_ Sarai said with a headshake. _I was just in the right place at the time. There are others in other units who are up for promotion before I am. And if I had my own company, Olun and I wouldn't be able to stay together._

 _If...that's really what you want,_ Amaya said. She still wondered if anyone would object to her joining a battle-ready squadron.

To her surprise, Olun's request was granted. What he and Sarai hadn't said was that the battalion had suffered high casualties, so there were many billets to be filled. But the battle they'd fought had also led to a detente between the races. They had months to drill and get used to the new formations. Olun, it turned out, also studied tactics from the other four kingdoms. He was keen to employ them, dividing his troops into two factions for field maneuvers. 

For three years, they had relative peace. Olun's signing improved tremendously, especially after he and Sarai married. He even ordered that the whole squad learn certain signs for communication. "It's dead useful," he explained to the other commanders. Few adopted the measure, however. They still met with occasional parties of elves, turning them back without escalating conflict. Their other activity was in covert incursions into Xadia, mostly to escort the High Mage and his son, Viren. Otherwise, they went back to protecting the Breach. 

That spring, King Dernir led a party deep into Xadia, for reasons only he and his High Mage knew. Olun, Sarai, and Amaya were among the soldiers selected to accompany them.

"I can't go," Sarai told them. Olun's eyes widened as she placed his hand on her belly. Amaya's eyes shone with pride.

Olun offered to stay. Sarai told him, no, of course not--it's an honor to be chosen. Amaya promised she would keep him safe and bring him home.

It had been a rout. Surrounded by elves and juvenile dragons, they had needed every imaginable ounce of strength to fight their way back to the Breach. No one returned without injury, and they had spent days under the care of the chiurgeons. Three days after they got back to camp, King Dernir promoted Olun to the rank of General, in gratitude for rescuing him. Olun was months recovering, while Sarai took leave to give birth to their son. 

From the day of his birth, Amaya appointed herself little Callum's biggest fan. They were more than partners; they were a family now. Sarai and Olun each commanded their own company, side by side at the Breach. 

_You should be a general, too,_ Sarai told Amaya.

 _No one's going to give me a company. How could I command them?_ she said. She knew her expression conveyed how unfair the reality was, but it was true. Other commanders all praised her capability, but a general had to be able to shout at the troops, and hear the other commanders. She told herself it didn't matter, because she and Sarai had Olun and little baby Callum, and it was peacetime and they didn't need so many generals, anyway.

Then it happened. On the night of autumn's eve, two months after Callum's first birthday, a large column of Elvish forces was spotted penetrating the forest beyond the plains, far to the south. No one knew how they'd passed so far into Katolis. Alarums were raised; the army mobilized, and King Dernir himself led the march to meet the enemy. The campaign was bloody, fierce, and devastating.

Recovering again in hospital, Amaya woke to a freckled, red-haired little face. The boy, who seemed to be about ten or eleven, wore a page's livery. When he saw her eyes open, he set down the basin and cloth he'd been using to bathe her and, to her surprise, signed: _Commander Amaya, General Sarai asked me to tell you that she's all right. Your hands are bandaged, so don't try to sign._

Amaya nodded weakly. Her cheek throbbed. Dimly, she remembered being cut. She couldn't remember how they'd escaped. 

_Are you thirsty? The chiurgeon said you'd be thirsty. I'm supposed to help you drink if you want water._

She nodded again. He poured water into a cup and helped her to sip it slowly. He set down the cup. _The General said you'd have questions, so I'm supposed to answer a few and then go get her. Is that OK?_

Another nod.

_My parents were deaf, too. That's why I can sign. They died of a fever about two years ago and I came to the army but they said I was too small to fight. I've been assisting the chiurgeons ever since. General Matias took a cut in the neck, and he can't talk right now, so I've been teaching him a few signs. General Sarai saw me and asked if I could look after you, too. Oh, and my name is Gren._

She looked down at her hands. They were wrapped in gauze so that her fingers couldn't wiggle, but she could lift her arms to say _Thank you_.

"You're welcome," Gren said, and then, _You're welcome, sorry_.

She smiled and shook her head. "It's ok," she mouthed. She pointed to her lips.

"You can lip read?" he asked.

She nodded.

 _Great!_ the boy signed. In sign, he then explained that the army had set up camp and a hospital in Dammil Valley. She'd been lightly burned by a young dragon, but thanks to the salves the chiurgeons had, she was going to be all right. _I should probably get the General now. She'll be upset if I don't. If you fall asleep again, it's OK. We'll be back._

Sarai, when she arrived, looked pale and drawn. _I am so glad to see you. The battle…. Do you remember anything?_

Amaya shook her head.

Nodding, biting her lips, Sarai continued. _We lost. King Dernir is dead. And Olun's gone._ She blinked back tears. _He died trying to save the King. He ordered me to lead the retreat. I couldn't go back._ She wiped her eyes angrily. Amaya tapped her arm. When her sister looked up, she waved her in. Sarai leaned down, a warm weight against Amaya's chest, and cried out her grief.

So, they were partners again.

For the next year, they were unstoppable again, as well. Sarai resumed her command, and made recommendations for others. Once she was well enough, King Harrow promoted Amaya to replace Olun, commanding her to pick an aide with aptitude for sign to be her interpreter. She asked Gren if he would do it, and also serve as her personal page. 

_Are you kidding?_ the boy asked. _I wanted to enlist when I got here but they said I was too small!_

_You're too small to come into the field, just yet, but you can help me with everything else, while you train. All right?_

_Yes!_ he signed emphatically. 

_And you can help teach Callum, too,_ Sarai added, once he joined their little family. Not that they saw Callum nearly as much as mother and aunt would like. His care was given to tutors and nurses. Meanwhile, they increased patrols, noting more and more unrest along the Breach, greater and greater skirmishes as the kingdom of Xadia tested the new, young King. They were frequent guests at the castle, reporting on the status of the border and providing insight to Harrow and Viren, offering advice for how to prevent war. 

_I've met someone,_ Sarai signed one evening, after putting Callum to bed. Gren was training for the field, now, and had temporarily gone to join the others in the ranks. Before he left, she'd had to promise him that once he'd made it through, he could return as her official aide.

 _I can tell,_ Amaya said. _You're not as sad anymore. You haven't been for a while. Who is he?_

Sarai's answer shocked her. _When? How?_

 _I'm sure you know, we've been getting closer and closer since he took the throne. But it changed about a month ago. When I accompanied the King to the Pentarchal Summit. You remember we went with a small escort? One night, we stopped at an inn near the mountain pass. We just...we were talking about strategy in his chamber, and suddenly he said his advisors were telling him that after a year on the throne, he really ought to marry. He said his Council were advocating an alliance with one of the other kingdoms, but that none of the kings had daughters of marriageable age. And then he said he didn't think he'd want a marriage like that, anyway...and he asked if I would ever consider remarrying. And we--we discussed it._ She blushed. Amaya made a rude sign, one that she wasn't even sure Sarai had learned. One she hoped someone else would teach to Gren, because that would be embarrassing. 

_Something like that, yeah,_ said her sister. _A couple of times._

_He knows you have a son?_

_Yes. And a sister._

She rolled her eyes. _That's not what I mean._

_I know what you mean. Yes. He knows. He's prepared to acknowledge Callum._

_Do you love him?_

Sarai smiled. It was secretive and wistful. She nodded. _I think...yes, I do._

 _Then I think you'll make an awesome Queen,_ Amaya told her.

 _Oh, Light of Katol, I never even thought about that part!_ Sarai said, eyes wide.

But she had made an awesome Queen. They had married a year later, Harrow formally adopting Callum into the royal household. Within a year, Sarai announced that she was expecting an official heir. Despite the growing tensions along the Breach, and her suspicion that Viren, in succeeding his father as High Mage, was leading Harrow into some questionable territory, Sarai had supported her husband, led her troops, and loved her sons. 

And they were a family once more. When little Ezran was born, Amaya and Gren had ridden through the night to greet the Crown Prince. Amaya held the squirming, squalling bundle of nephew for as long as the nurse would let her. Gren finally had to tap her to get her to look away.

 _She says he needs to be fed,_ he told her. Reluctantly, she surrendered the royal infant. 

_Have a surprise for you,_ Sarai signed to her, just before she put the babe to her breast. "Go see Harrow," she said, grinning like a cat with a bowl of cream.

 _Are you happy?_ Gren asked her after her audience. _High Commander. That's great, isn't it?_

 _Yes._ Amaya said, but her mouth twisted. She hadn't liked the look Viren had in his eyes. She really wanted to talk to her sister alone. But first.

"Aunt Amaya!" Callum came hurtling down the steps and into her arms.

 _Look at you,_ she signed. _You're getting so big!_

"I drew this for you," he said, and reached into his bag. He pulled out a childish drawing of a figure in armor, mounted on horseback. A second armored figure rode next to the first.

"Hey, is that us?" Gren asked, looking over her shoulder. He cleared his throat. "Sorry," he said, signing it at the same time. 

_It's all right,_ Amaya signed back to him. To her nephew, she grinned and signed, _I love it._ She handed Gren the picture. _Put this somewhere safe, will you?_

He nodded, tucking the drawing into his pouch. They spent a happy hour talking about all the things a five-year-old boy thought were important. 

_I don't trust Viren,_ Sarai said, once they were alone and the baby slept in his cradle near the Queen's bed. _But Harrow won't hear a word against him. That's why I've decided to retire and stay close to home. Be careful. If anything on the border seems to be shifting, send me word immediately._

 _Are you happy, though?_ Amaya asked.

 _He's so good to Callum,_ Sarai said. _And look at our son. He's beautiful._

 _He's...wrinkled,_ Amaya teased, earning an eyeroll from her sister. _Should I worry about leaving you here with Viren?_

Sarai shook her head. _That's not the kind of problem I'm afraid of. I think…. I think Viren has only the realm's best interest at heart. But he's too quick to use his knowledge for short cuts and sorcery, instead of letting things settle naturally. I worry he'll convince Harrow to do something dangerous._

_Can you convince him to dismiss Viren?_

Sarai shook her head. _They've been friends since they were children. The best I can do is convince him not to listen._

Amaya told her to be careful, to watch her back. _I feel like I should stay. Keep an eye on you._

 _I'll be all right. It's time I devote myself to the realm in other ways. And you have an important job to do._ She looked down at the tiny, brown face in the bassinet. _But if anything happens to me, promise you'll look after the boys._

 _Of course,_ Amaya said without hesitation. _They'd have to go through me to get to them._

She leaned forward and hugged her sister tight. _We'll be at the Banther Lodge in a month,_ Sarai said. _You should join us._

_If I can._

They were still a family, just a more distant one than they had been. Five more years went by, while the front grew more and more restless. Then she received a messenger bird: _The Queen has taken ill,_ it read. Amaya rode hard, Gren matching her just as he always did.

They were too late. By the time they arrived at the keep, Sarai had faded away. According to the chiurgeons, Harrow never left her side. 

_What happened?_ she demanded through Gren.

"Her Majesty sickened," said Viren, "after eating, two days ago. We tried everything to purge her of the ailment. I suspect that it was not...a natural death."

 _What do you mean? She was poisoned?_ Gren translated.

"I fear so," Viren confirmed. "I've been attempting to isolate what the substance might have been, and how the Xadian monsters were able to introduce it to her person."

Amaya wanted to ask what made him so sure it was Xadian, but she stopped herself. It didn't matter what he told her; she wouldn't believe his answer, anyway. She feared he would use her sister's death as an excuse to escalate tensions. He would advocate retaliation, and Harrow, consumed with grief, would likely go along.

For the next six sunsets, she sat vigil with Harrow over Sarai's body. During the day, they stayed close to the princes--Ezran clinging to his father, Callum, more shyly, looking to Amaya and Gren for his comfort. Amaya told herself she had to be strong, now. She had to be unstoppable. She had a job to do, that Sarai's death could not change. She was still High Commander, she was still the aunt to two royal princes, and she was still her sister's partner.

**Author's Note:**

> New Fandom! It's so shiny. I have more ideas but this one was the one that wanted "out" first. I love all these characters and I love this story so far, so be on the lookout.
> 
> If you like this, and are interested in any of my other fandoms, check out the rest of my works, or follow me on Tumblr @gwenlygrace
> 
> (NOTE: Apparently Ezran is 10 (!), not 7, so I have the age differences wrong. Callum should only have been around 5 when Ezran was born. I adjusted the fic and I think I fixed it. But maybe not. Because birthday maths.)


End file.
